Ford stalwart and champion drag racer Billy Glidden was involved in a vicious crash at Orlando Speed World in Orlando, Florida, while testing his 5-second 240-plus mph Pro Modified Ford Mustang. Running in the right lane, on a single-pass, the Mustang encountering severe tire shake just past the 60-foot mark when it darted right and impacted the concrete guard wall. The Mustang shot back across the track with great momentum and blasted the left-side wall with the driver's side of the car. It then shot back to the right, essentially 'ping-ponging' before finally coming to rest in the right lane. Glidden was momentarily knocked unconscious from the force of the crash.

The OSW track safety crew was immediately on the scene, and according to our source, Glidden 'came to' during the extrication process, which involved cutting the driver's side X-bracing from the tube-chassis Mustang. Glidden was able to move his neck, arms and legs, but complained of back pain. After being removed from the car, he rode to the Orlando Regional Hospital in an ambulance where he was admitted for observation.

A local Orlando News 9 helicopter flew over the scene, which showed the mangled Ford at rest on the track. The right side of the Mustang was crushed and the left fender and door was torn off. The driver's door looked as if it sliced through the quarter-panel. You can also see a large crack in the body that stretches from the left-side B-pillar across the rear Plexiglas window to the opposite side of the car. The photos also reveal the massive nitrous-injected, 900-plus cubic inch engine.

Billy Glidden is the son of 10-time NHRA Pro Stock champion Bob Glidden. Race fans anticipated the younger Glidden's return to a Ford, after he competed in the turbocharged Pro Mod Camaro of Harry Hruska in 2016. Glidden's popular Pro Modified Mustang was sporting a "throwback" wrap designed to celebrate the paint scheme on his famous father's 1970 Pro Stock Mustang.